Communications headsets in general can be used in a diversity of applications and are particularly effective for telephone operators, office administrators, and other individuals for whom it is desirable to have “hands free” operation of communication systems.
Communications headsets may either be monaural or binaural. Binaural headsets are communications headsets which have two audio receivers situated near each ear of a wearer and are generally worn with a headband and ear cushions. Monaural headsets are communications headsets which have only a single audio receiver situated near one ear. Monaural headsets may be worn in either one of three styles: 1) in the ear 2) over the ear with an ear bud and ear loop or 3) headband with an ear cushion.
Some communications headsets may further be equipped with donned/doffed sensors that detect whether the communications headset has been “donned”, i.e., placed on the head of a wearer for communications purposes, or “doffed”, i.e., removed from the wearer's head.
In cases where an individual with a monaural communications device equipped with donned/doffed sensors desires to convert from an in the ear or over the ear with an ear bud and ear loop wearing style to a headband with an ear cushion wearing style, may experience false detections or no detections from the donned/doffed sensors. This problem may arise when the donned/doffed sensors are positioned in close proximity to the ear and tuned, for example, for an in the ear bud and ear loop wearing style so that the donned/doffed sensors fall out of range and no longer detect the presence of the ear when the user converts to a headband with an ear cushion wearing style. Conversely, if the donned/doffed sensors are tuned to function in the headband with the ear cushion wearing style, they will be far too sensitive when a user converts to the in the ear or over the ear with an ear bud and ear loop wearing styles such that the sensors will give too many false detections to be meaningful and valuable.
Therefore it is desirable to have a monaural communications headset equipped with donned/doffed sensors that may be converted from an in the ear or over the ear with an ear bud and ear loop wearing style to a headband and ear cushion wearing style that provides more accurate results in detecting the presence of the wearer's ear.